[Vala] How to get started with Vala

[ditch0701 pz org]

Vala looks like a great solution. To move forward, however, I need a  
bit more info. I've looked on the Vala site, but haven't found this  
info. Unless I missed something obvious, you might want to put the  
answers to these questions in a place where newbies can find it.  
(Possibly the FAQ) Here goes:

1) Is there a binary download for Vala? If so, where is it?
2) What other libraries are needed to use the core Vala? And where are  
they available?
3) One thing that appears in the Ref manual but in a way that seems  
somewhat unclear is how to write a library in Vala. What are the  
syntactical elements that identify a given source file as being part  
of a given library.

I am excited at the prospect of testing out Vala.

TIA for your help.

---D